Urine alcohol concentrations

Blood and urine are most often analyzed for alcohol by headspace gas chromatography (qv) using an internal standard, eg, 1-propanol. Assays are straightforward and lend themselves to automation (see Automated instrumentation). Urine samples are collected as a voided specimen, ie, subjects must void their bladders, wait about 20 minutes, and then provide the urine sample. Voided urine samples provide the most accurate deterrnination of blood alcohol concentrations. Voided urine alcohol concentrations are divided by a factor of 1.3 to determine the equivalent blood alcohol concentration. The 1.3 value is used because urine has approximately one-third more water in it than blood and, at equiUbrium, there is about one-third more alcohol in the urine as in the blood. 

Alcohol. The number of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUl) cases reflects the enormity of the dmnken driving problem in the United States (9). Tests to measure blood alcohol concentration are conducted on blood, urine, or breath (10). In the case of urine and breath, the alcohol concentration measured is reported in terms of the equivalent blood alcohol concentration. Most states in the United States presume that a person is under the influence of alcohol with respect to driving a motor vehicle at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10%, ie, an ethanol concentration >10 g/100 mL of blood. Some states maintain a lower necessary concentration of 0.08%. In some European countries levels are as low as 0.05%. A blood alcohol concentration of 0.10% in a 68-kg (150-lb) person is the equivalent of about four drinks of 80 proof alcohoHc beverage or four 340-g (12-oz) beers in the body at the time of the test (see Beer Beverage spirits, distilled Wine). Ethanol is metabolized at the equivalent rate of about one drink per hour. 

Other Substances. Driving under the influence of alcohol cases are compHcated because people sometimes consume alcohol with other substances (11—13). The most common iUicit substances taken with alcohol are marijuana and cocaine (see Table 1) (14). In combination with alcohol, some dmgs have an additive effect. When a blood or urine alcohol sample is tested for alcohol and the result is well below the legal concentration threshold yet the test results are not consistent with the arresting officers observation that the subject was stuporous, further toxicological tests for the possible presence of dmgs are indicated. 

Alcohol is metabolised in the liver by the enzyme cytochrome P450IIE1 (CYP2E1), which may be increased (induced) after chronic drinking. Most alcohol consumed is metabolised in the liver, while the small quantity that remains unmetabolised permits alcohol concentration to be measured in breath and urine. 

Other pathways will continue to operate but, for plasma concentrations of the order of K, an apparently linear decrease in concentration with time will be seen. Thus, for alcohol in healthy adult males, has an average value of 82 lig/ml, and an average value of 202 qg/ml/hour. About 90% of alcohol elimination is usually by the capacity-limited alcohol dehydrogenase (oxidative) pathway, the remainder being by the kidneys and other routes of excretion. The renal clearance of alcohol depends on urine flow, and is approximately equal to urine flow rate, i.e. about 1 ml/min only a trace is eliminated via the lungs. For blood-alcohol concentrations of 100, 350, 1000, and 3500 qg/ml, the elimination of alcohol will be as shown in Table 3. As the concentration rises, so the elimination rate increases (but not proportionately) to reach a value of approximately V... 

In a fatality due to the ingestion of 2.5 g of ajmaline and 300 mg of diazepam the following postmortem tissue concentrations of ajmaline were reported blood 10 pg/ml, liver 50 pg/g, urine 44 pg/ml a blood-alcohol concentration of 1590 pg/ml was also reported (A. R. Alha 1966— personal communication). 

The following postmortem tissue concentrations were reported in an accidental fatality caused by the intravenous administration of 40 mg of alphaprodine blood 0.62 ig/ml, liver 0.97pg/g, urine 0.30pg/ml a blood-alcohol concentration of 1.7 pg/ml was also reported (E. Griesemer and G. R. Nakamura, Bull. int. Ass.forens. Toxicol., 1973, 9 (1-2), 5). 

The following postmortem tissue concentrations were reported in a fatality due to the ingestion of mevinphos blood 360 pg/ml, brain 3 pg/g, kidney 20 pg/g, liver 240 pg/g, skeletal muscle 86 pg/g, urine 8pg/ml alcohol was detected in blood and urine at concentrations of 1250pg/ml and 1550 pg/ml, respectively death occurred within 45 minutes of ingestion (J. F. Lewin and J. L. Love, ibid.). 

In a fatality involving the ingestion of alcohol and nomifensine, the following postmortem concentrations of nomifensine were reported blood 17 ig/ml, kidney 141 gg/g, liver 32 gg/g, urine 400 gg/ml a blood-alcohol concentration of 5000 gg/ml was also reported (A. F. Reyfer et al., Beitr. Gerichtl. Med., 1979, 37, 313-318). 

Isopropanol has a short half-life ti ) of 1 to 6 hours, as it is rapidly metabolized by alcohol dehydrogenase to acetone, which is eliminated much more slowly (t]/2,17 to 27 hours), primarily in alveolar air and urine.Therefore concentrations of acetone in serum often exceed those of isopropanol during the elimination phase following isopropanol mgestion (Figure 34-4). Acetone has CNS depressant activity similar to that of ethanol, and because of its longer half-life, it prolongs the apparent CNS effects of isopropanol. 

The screening test is the initial alcohol test. A confirmation test is only performed if the screening test shows an alcohol concentration of 0.02 or higher. Note that only breath or saliva can be tested, not urine, blood, or any other substance. 

Exactly the same technique (headspace GC) can be applied for the determination of alcohol concentration in other biological specimens (urine, spinal-column fluid, or fluid from the eyes), with the only difference being the standard solutions. 

Death The prevalence of alcohol use in cases of unnatural death has been studied in 1669 post-mortem examinations 379 non-homicidal unnatural deaths were eligible, and alcohol concentrations were measured in the blood and/or urine in 311 cases [2. Alcohol was detected in 162 cases, 133 men and 29 women. Alcohol concentrations were over 150 mg/dl (100 mmol/1) in 99 cases, most commonly in those aged 18 9 years. Road traffic accidents, drowning, and hangings were the common unnatural deaths associated with alcohol. Most of the road traffic deaths involved the driver (27%). The... 

Human sensitization studies were negative at 10% solution (47). Undiluted benzyl alcohol produces moderate dermal irritation in guinea pigs and mild dermal irritation in rabbits (48,49). Severe eye irritation was noted in a rabbit study (50). Acute oral rat LD q values were reported between 1.23 and 3.10 g/kg (50—52). A dermal rabbit LD q value of 2.0 g/kg has been reported (49). Rats died after 2 h when exposed to a 200-ppm vapor concentration (53). Benzyl alcohol is readily oxidized in animals and humans to benzoic acid [65-85-0] which is then conjugated with glycine [56-40-6], and rapidly eliminated in the urine as hippuric acid [495-69-2] (54). 

High concentrations of endosulfan sulfate were found primarily in the liver, intestine, and visceral fat 24 hours after mice were exposed to a single dose of -endosulfan (Deema et al. 1966). Five days following a single oral administration of " C-endosulfan to rats, the diol, sulfate, lactone, and ether metabolites were detected in the feces (Borough et al. 1978). In sheep, endosulfan sulfate was detected in the feces, and endosulfan alcohol and a-hydroxyether were detected in the urine (Gorbach et al. 1968). 

IEC continues to have numerous applications to the detection and quantification of various inorganic ions.1 1 This is particularly true in water analysis.5-14 Inorganic ions in a variety of other sample types, such as food and beverages,1518 rocks,19-23 biological fluids, (blood, urine, etc.),24-31 pharmaceutical substances,32 33 concentrated acids,34 alcohols,35 and cleanroom air36 have also been analyzed by IEC. IEC has also been employed in isotopic separation of ions,37 including the production of radioisotopes for therapeutic purposes.3839 Typical IEC sample matrices are complex, and may contain substances that interfere with measurement of the ion(s) of interest. The low detection limits required for many IEC separations demand simple extraction procedures and small volumes to avoid over-dilution. Careful choice and manipulation of the eluent(s) may be needed to achieve the desired specificity, especially when multiple ions are to be determined in a single sample. 

Pyrethroid insecticides are rapidly metabolized to their inactive acids and alcohol components, which are excreted primarily in urine. A small portion of the absorbed compounds is excreted unchanged. Occupational exposure to pyrethroid insecticides can be assessed by measuring intact compounds or their metabolites in urine. Biological indicators of internal dose in exposed subjects are reported in Table 7. Due to their rapid metabolism, determination of blood concentrations can only be used to reveal recent high-level exposures. 

Urine (2 1.) in a porcelain basin is evaporated to a syrup on the water bath. The flame is extinguished and the hot syrup is stirred with 500 c.c. of alcohol. After some time the clear extract is decanted and the residue is again warmed and once more digested in the same way with 500 c.c. of alcohol. If necessary, the combined extracts are filtered, most of the alcohol they contain is removed by distillation, and the aqueous-alcoholic residue, after transference to a small porcelain basin, is evaporated to dryness on the water bath. The dry residue is well cooled and is kept in an efficient freezing mixture while two volumes of colourless concentrated nitric acid are slowly added with thorough stirring. After the product has stood for twelve hours, the paste of urea nitrate is filtered dry at the pump, washed with a little ice-cold nitric acid (1 1), again filtered with suction till no more liquid drains off, and suspended in 100-150 c.c. of warm water. To this suspension barium carbonate is added... 

Behavioral observations of male white-tailed deer indicate that urine could play a role in olfactory communication in this animal [131]. To extend the knowledge of the urinary volatiles of the white-tailed deer and to investigate the possibility that vaginal mucus could also carry semiochemical information, Jemiolo et al. [132] studied the qualitative and concentration changes in the profiles of the volatiles present in these excretions. Forty-four volatiles were found in the mucus and 63 in female urine. The volatiles common to both vaginal mucus and urine included alcohols, aldehydes, furans, ketones, alkanes, and alkenes. Aromatic hydrocarbons were found only in the mucus, whereas pyrans, amines, esters and phenols were found only in the urine. Both estrous mucus and estrous urine could be identified by the presence of specific compounds that were not present in mid-cycle samples. Numerous compounds exhibited dependency on ovarian hormones. 

Obermayer s reagent chem A 0.4% solution of ferric chloride in concentrated hydrochloric acid used to test for indican in urine, with a pale-blue or deep-violet color indicating positive. o-b3r,mT-3rz re,a- 3nt n-octadecane orgchem CigHjg Colorless liquid boiling at 318°C soluble in alcohol, acetone, ether, and petroleum, insoluble in water used as a solvent and chemical intermediate. en, ak-t3 de,kan ... 

For patients who have ingested more than 30 ml of (pure) methanol or ethylene glycol, dialysis is recommended, and haemodialysis is more effective than peritoneal dialysis. Dialysis both removes the alcohols and their metabolites, and corrects the renal and metabolic disturbances and so is the preferred treatment in severe poisoning. The maintenance dose of ethanol required may be tripled during haemodialysis as ethanol is also removed. Early treatment is indicated if ethylene glycol concentrations are above 20 mg/100 ml (200 mg/1), if the arterial pH is below 7.3, if serum bicarbonate concentrations are less than 20 mM/1, and when there are oxalate crystals in the urine. 

Mechanism of Action An alcohol abuse deterrent that appears to interact with glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid neurotransmitter systems centrally, restoring their balance. Therapeutic Effect Reduces alcohol dependence. Pharmacokinetics Slowly absorbed from the G1 tract. Steady-state plasma concentrations are reached within 5 days. Does not undergo metabolism. Excreted in urine. Half-life 20-33 hr. 

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